In a recent meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Communications, it was revealed that motorway toll taxes have increased by over 100 percent. The National Highway Authority (NHA) chairman explained that toll rates had remained unchanged for six years. As a result, the sudden hike was meant to improve revenue collection, which reportedly jumped from Rs32 crore to Rs64 crore due to the increase.
However, committee members raised serious concerns over the lack of facilities for commuters. Senator Pervaiz Rasheed questioned what benefits the public had received in return for the higher tolls. He emphasized that increasing costs without improving services was unfair to motorway users, many of whom already face poor road conditions and limited rest areas.
During the same meeting, a major corruption case in the M6 motorway project also came to light. The NHA chairman informed the committee that Rs4.5 billion had been embezzled in two districts of Sindh. He stated that the Sindh government had now offered to return the stolen amount to keep the project moving forward.
According to the chairman, Sindh authorities proposed that the embezzled money be recovered from the two concerned deputy commissioners. This would allow the funds to be re-invested in the M6 project without further delays. He added that the provincial government was cooperating to ensure accountability and continuation of the development work.
The revelations have sparked debate over financial transparency and governance in national infrastructure projects. Lawmakers urged stricter checks on both toll hikes and project spending. They stressed the need for public trust, especially when billions are involved in taxpayer-funded initiatives.